An influential open letter sent by the General Council of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. opposing "red scare" allegations and falsehoods as damaging the moral ethos and democratic practices of our country. In it, John McKay and Eugene Carson Blake make a concise Reformed case for the prophetic role of the church, both in public policy and civic values. The subtitle is: "Concerning the Present Situation in Our Country and In the World." It is an illuminating Christian response to the Cold War, fear of communism, and threats to civil liberties, using Mt ...

Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table Leader's Guide is a seven-session curriculum for congregations that explores the relationship between the way we eat and the way we live, published by the Presbyterian Hunger Program.This version was adapted for use in African American Congregations with the partnership of several churches in the Chicago area.

The study uses scripture, prayer and stories from the local and global community to explore five key aspects of our relationship with food:

To wonder, as this article proposes to do, about the relationship between sacraments and seasons, is to encounter a whole host of questions about color and texture and meaning, about the words and the signs of our sacramental celebrations, as we enact them through the full cycle of the liturgical calendar. Is the Lord’s Supper in any way different when the table is draped in purple instead of in green? Should it be? Does a baptism celebrated on Easter take on a different meaning in congregational experience than one in October? Is that a good ...

The church has always gravitated toward beauty and justice, and for good reason—they describe the very nature of God. As surely as the New Testament declares “God is love,” it could just as easily have included, “God is beauty” and “God is just.” Travel all over the globe and you will discover beauty is one of the hallmarks of the church. Tourists in Paris take as many photos of Notre Dame as they do of the Eiffel Tower. Stained glass, candles, pipe organs, on and on the list goes. Even the simplest of churches usually will ...

2012 marks 175 years of Presbyterian mission and ministry for the GAMC. This article invites you to look at your own mission and ministry in the church, and suggests ideas for building disciples in your congregation.

Is the church ready? Are we prepared to be a community of healing for those who are living now, and will be living for many years, with the wounds of war? Every day the news media reports on the physical and emotional costs of war. One in five soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan lives with major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Suicide rates and domestic violence have soared. Is the church prepared? Members of the PDC Leadership Team believe that the physical, emotional and spiritual wounds are intertwined. We ...

Presbyterians for Disability Concerns (PDC) is offering our 2011 Inclusion Sunday resources to equip churches for inclusive ministry. The ideas and suggestions for worship and theology, confirmation and models of ministry come from actual experiences of writers who are committed to inclusion of children and youth of all abilities. It is our prayer that this packet will assist you in your ministry with all of God’s children.